Equipment rack and associated ventilation system

ABSTRACT

A cable management rack is provided within which or upon which a heat-generating device is mountable, and which encompasses a vertical rectangular frame open in a front and a rear of the frame. The rack includes a first upright and a second upright attached to opposite respective lateral sides of a base and a top member, and respective side-facing panels. Each of the panels defines a plurality of vent holes arranged in an array and permit the rack to receive a sideways flow of cooling air into a first side of the rack through one of the vent hole arrays for cooling a heat-generating device mounted between the panels, and permit the rack to discharge a sideways flow of exhaust air through the other vent hole array. Each of the array of vent holes may manifest a honeycomb pattern of vent holes, and each of the vent holes may manifest an hexagonal shape. A cable management system includes a cable management rack for accommodating a heat generating device, a first baffle mounted with respect to a first upright of the rack and for redirecting a rearward flow of cool air sideways from a space adjacent a front side of the rack, and a second baffle mounted with respect to a second upright of the rack and for redirecting a sideways flow of exhaust air from the rack and through the second upright into a space adjacent a rear side of the rack. A method of cooling a heat-generating device mounted in or on a cable management rack includes providing a sideways flow of cooling air into the rack and into the device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/942,298, filed Nov. 19, 2007, the contents of which areherein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure is directed generally to rack systems for use inpositioning of electronic components and/or equipment and, moreparticularly, to cable management racks and equipment ventilationsystems associated therewith.

2. Background Art

Cable management systems (such as cable racks, bays or frames, which arehereinafter referred to as “racks”) have long been used in many variedapplications, such as in communications and electronic services, and aregenerally located in indoor rooms, closures, offices or controlledenvironmental vaults. A known common construction that has evolved forsuch racks is one shown in FIG. 1 in the form of a rack 100. The rack100 encompasses a tall, rectangular frame, typically constructed withtwo uprights 102 attached to a base 104 and a top member 106, the lattercommonly incorporating a waterfall 108 useful for ensuring thatappropriately large bend radii are formed in cables extending to, from,and along the top member 108, as discussed in greater detail below.Referring now to FIG. 2, an arrangement 200 includes two instances of acable management rack that may be substantially similar to the rack 100of FIG. 1, including a rack 202 and a rack 204, the racks 202 and 204being positioned adjacent to each other in a side-by-side configurationand including respective waterfalls 206, 208. Also included in thearrangement 200 are three instances of a conventional cable managementcage, a first of which, a cage 210, is somewhat larger than the othersand is positioned between the rack 202 and the rack 204, a second ofwhich, a cage 212, is somewhat smaller and is positioned on an oppositeside of the rack 202 from the cage 210, and a third of which, a cage214, is approximately the same size as the cage 212 and is positioned onan opposite side of the rack 204 from the cage 210. The arrangement 200further includes a variety of devices, e.g., a device 216 and a device218 mounted within the rack 202 (e.g., wherein the device 216 is a patchpanel, and a device 220 and a device 222 mounted within the rack 204,and a variety of cables 224 extending vertically within the cages 210,212, 214, forming a variety of bend radii (e.g., a bend radius 226associated with the waterfall 206), extending horizontally inward acrossthe respective fronts of the racks 202, 204, and interconnecting withthe various devices (e.g., the devices 216, 218, 220, 222) mountedwithin the racks 202, 204. The arrangement 200 still further includes acorresponding variety of cables 226 interconnecting with the variousdevices mounted within the racks 202, 204, extending horizontallyoutward across the respective rears of the racks 202, 204, and extendingvertically within the cages 210, 212, 214.

The devices mounted within the racks 202, 204 may be cross connectpanels, patch panels, or any one of a variety of other types of devicesrequiring the orderly accomplishment of cable interconnections. In manyinstances, a rack mounted device, such as the device 218, requires asupply of cool air to ensure that a moderate operating temperature ismaintained within the device. For example, the device 218 includes apair of fan-equipped vents 228 facing outward of the device 218 andvisible from a front side 230 of the rack 202 such that the device 218receives a supply of cool air directly from a space or corridor definedat least in part by a corresponding front side of the arrangement 200.In such circumstances, the device 218 typically further includes one ormore exhaust vents (obscured) facing outward of the device 218 andvisible from a rear side 232 of the rack 202 opposite the front side 230thereof such that the device 218 vents warm exhaust air directly into aspace or corridor defined at least in part by a corresponding rear sideof the arrangement 200.

A prior art arrangement 300 shown in FIG. 3 includes multiple instancesof a cable management rack similar to the cable management racks 100,202, 204 of FIGS. 1 and 2, including a rack 302, a rack 304, and a rack306, an instance of a cable management cage similar to the cage 210 ofFIG. 2 (cage 308 disposed between the rack 302 and the rack 304), and aninstance of a cable management cage similar to the cages 212 and 214 ofFIG. 2 (cage 310 disposed between the rack 304 and the rack 306). Aspace or corridor 312 defined at least in part by a front side 314 ofthe arrangement 300 includes a supply of cool air for cooling suchdevices (not shown for the sake of convenience) as are mounted in theracks 302, 304, 306 of the arrangement 300. As shown by respective flowsof cool air indicated at 316, 318 and 320, the cooling air enters thedevices (not shown) mounted in the racks 302, 304, 306 of thearrangement 300 via the front side 314 of the arrangement 300 adjacentthe corridor 312. A space or corridor 322 is defined at least in part bya rear side 324 of the arrangement 300, and as shown by respective flowsof warm exhaust air indicated at 326, 328, and 330, the resulting warmexhaust air exits the devices (not shown) mounted in the racks 302, 304,306 of the arrangement 300 via the rear side 324 of the arrangement 300adjacent the corridor 322.

As described above, the ventilation arrangements depicted in FIGS. 2 and3 are appropriate for purposes of cooling devices configured to receivecooling air approaching such devices from directly in front of thearrangements 200, 300 and to expel warm exhaust air by passing such warmair directly to the rear of the arrangements 200, 300. Despite effortsto date, a need remains for racks and associated ventilationarrangements and systems designed to deliver cooling air to, and toeliminate warm exhaust air from, devices mounted within such racks in amore effective and/or reliable manner. These and other needs aresatisfied by the racks and associated ventilation systems disclosedherein.

SUMMARY

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, cablemanagement racks, associated ventilation systems, and related techniquesare disclosed for providing sideways-directed flows of cooling air intosuch racks and into heat-generating devices mounted therein (orthereon), and for facilitating the passage of sideways-directed flows ofexhaust air outward of such devices and out of such racks. The disclosedracks, ventilation systems, and techniques facilitate redirection ofcooling flows from spaces or corridors positioned adjacent to respectivefront sides of such racks sideways into such racks and into (and/oralongside) such heat-generating devices, and further facilitateredirection of exhaust flows from such devices and from such racksrearward into spaces or corridors positioned adjacent to respective rearsides of such racks.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a cablemanagement rack is provided within or upon which a heat-generatingdevice is mountable, and which encompasses a vertical rectangular frameopen in a front and a rear of the frame. The rack further includes afirst upright and a second upright attached to opposite respectivelateral sides of a base and a top member. The rack still furtherincludes respective side-facing panels. According to exemplaryembodiments of the present disclosure, each of the respectiveside-facing panels advantageously defines a respective correspondingplurality of vent holes arranged in an array and effective to permit therack to receive a straight lateral sideways flow of cooling air into afirst side of the rack through one of the vent hole arrays for cooling aheat-generating device mounted between the side-facing panels, and topermit the rack to discharge a corresponding straight lateral sidewaysflow of exhaust air through the other of the vent hole arrays. Withrespect to each respective side-facing panel, the respectivecorresponding plurality of vent holes may extend across a predominantportion of a side-facing surface area of the side-facing panel, mayextend across substantially an entire height of the rack, and/or mayextend across substantially an entire depth of the rack. Further withrespect to each respective plurality of vent holes, the array thereofmay manifest a honeycomb pattern, and/or each of the vent holes thereofmay manifest an hexagonal shape, and/or a punched hole perforating therespective side-facing panel.

In an alternate embodiment of the present disclosure, either or each ofthe respective side facing panels advantageously defines an integralbaffle. If both side facing panels possess an integral baffle, they maybe arranged with respective integral baffles extending from diagonallyopposing uprights of the side facing panels. The integral baffles aregenerally angularly oriented relative to the substantially rectangularrack and are effective to permit the rack to receive a lateral sidewaysflow of cooling air into a first side of the rack through one of thecavities defined by a first integral baffle, and to permit the rack todischarge a corresponding (or substantially corresponding) lateralsideways flow of exhausting air through the other cavity defined by theother integral baffle.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a cablemanagement system is provided, the system being operable to deliver asupply of cooling air to a heat generating device mounted therewithin(and/or thereon), and including a cable management rack foraccommodating a heat-generating device, the rack encompassing a verticalrectangular frame open in a front and a rear of the frame and includingfirst and second uprights attached to opposite respective lateral sidesof a base and a top member, a first baffle mounted with respect to orintegrally extending from the first upright and configured anddimensioned to redirect a rearward flow of cool air from a spaceadjacent a front side of the rack sideways through the first upright,and a second baffle mounted with respect to or integrally extending fromthe second upright and configured and dimensioned to redirect a sidewaysflow of exhaust air from the rack and through the second uprightrearward into a space adjacent a rear side of the rack.

The cable management system may further include (i) a third bafflemounted with respect to or integrally extending from the first uprightin vertical alignment with the first baffle and configured anddimensioned to redirect a second, separate rearward flow of cool airfrom the space adjacent the front side of the rack sideways through thefirst upright, and (iv) a fourth baffle mounted with respect to orintegrally extending from the second upright in vertical alignment withthe third baffle and configured and dimensioned to redirect a second,separate sideways flow of exhaust air from the rack and through thesecond upright rearward into a space adjacent a rear side of the rack.

Also, the cable management system may include a second cable managementrack for accommodating heat-generating device(s), the second cablemanagement rack encompassing a vertical rectangular frame open in afront and a rear of the frame and including first and second uprightsattached to opposite respective lateral sides of a base and a topmember, and a third cable management rack for accommodating aheat-generating device, the third cable management rack encompassing avertical rectangular frame open in a front and a rear of the frame andincluding first and second uprights attached to opposite respectivelateral sides of a base and a top member, wherein a first baffle isfurther mounted with respect to or integrally extending from the secondupright of the second rack and is configured and dimensioned to redirecta second sideways flow of exhaust air from the second rack and throughthe second upright thereof rearward into the space adjacent the rearside of the rack, and a second baffle is mounted with respect to orintegrally extending from the first upright of the third rack and isconfigured and dimensioned to redirect a second rearward flow of coolair from the space adjacent the front side of the rack sideways throughthe first upright thereof.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a method isprovided for cooling a heat-generating device mounted in (or on) a cablemanagement rack encompassing a vertical rectangular frame open in afront and a rear of the frame and including respective first and seconduprights attached to opposite respective lateral sides of a base and atop member, the method including receiving a rearward flow of cool airfrom a space adjacent a front side of the rack and redirecting the flowof cool air sideways through the first upright and into theheat-generating device, and redirecting a sideways flow of exhaust airpassing out of the heat-generating device, and through the secondupright, rearward to a space adjacent a rear side of the rack. Themethod may further include receiving another rearward flow of cool airfrom the space adjacent the front side of the rack and redirecting theanother rearward flow of cool air sideways through the first upright andinto a second heat-generating device mounted in the rack, andredirecting another sideways flow of exhaust air passing out of anotherheat-generating device, and through the second upright, rearward to thespace adjacent the rear side of the rack.

Additional features, functions and benefits of the disclosed racks,ventilation systems, and associated methods and techniques will beapparent from the detailed description which follows, particularly whenread in conjunction with the appended figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

To assist those of skill in the art in making and using the disclosedequipment mounting racks and associated ventilation systems, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a known cable management rack;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective side view of a known arrangement ofcable management racks, cable management cages, devices mounted in theracks, and cables mounted with respect to the racks and cages andinterconnected with the devices;

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a known arrangement of cablemanagement racks and cable management cages illustrating conventionalflows for receiving cooling air from a corridor adjacent a front side ofthe arrangement directly into devices mounted in the racks, and fordischarging warm exhaust air from the mounted devices directly into acorridor adjacent a rear side of the arrangement;

FIG. 4 is a perspective side view of a cable management rackincorporating respective uprights having ventilated side panels inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of an arrangement in accordance with thepresent disclosure of cable management racks similar to the rackillustrated in FIG. 4, cable management cages mounted between and besidethe racks, devices mounted with respect to the racks, and flowredirection baffles disposed in spaces between the racks, wherein thearrangement illustrates inventive flows for receiving cooling air from acorridor adjacent a front side of the arrangement and for dischargingwarm exhaust air from the mounted devices indirectly into a corridoradjacent a rear side of the arrangement;

FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 9 are views of corresponding portions of respectivefirst, second, third, and fourth variations of the arrangement of FIG. 5illustrating different placement positions for and quantities of thebaffles disposed between the ventilated uprights of respective racks;

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a switch device featuring side-to-sideventilation; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective side view of a cable management rackincorporating respective uprights having integral baffles extendingtherefrom in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S)

With reference to FIG. 4, an instance of a cable management rack isdepicted in accordance with the present disclosure in the form of a rack400. The rack 400 may encompass a tall, rectangular frame, and mayinclude two uprights 402. The two uprights 402 may be attached to a base404 at a bottom margin of the frame. The two uprights 402 may further beattached to a top member 406. The top member 406 may include a waterfall408 for facilitating the formation of appropriately large bend radii incables (not separately shown) mounted with respect to the rack 400. Eachof the uprights 402 may include side panel 410. Each side panel 410 mayinclude a plurality of vent holes 412 for facilitating the passage ofair through the side panel 410, such that the rack 400 is operable as acomponent of a ventilation system for delivering an effective flow ofcooling air to one or more heat generating devices (one of which isshown schematically in FIG. 4 at reference numeral 414) mounted in therack 400 through the vent holes 412 of a side panel 410, and/or topromote an effective flow of warm exhaust air therefrom through the ventholes 412 of a side panel 410. In such circumstances, the rack 400 is asuitable rack for receiving heat-generating devices (e.g., such as theCatalyst WS-C4510R switch marketed by Cisco Systems, Inc., anillustration of which is provided in FIG. 10, and/or other switchesmarketed by Cisco Systems, such as the Catalyst WS-C6513, and/orswitches marketed by other companies than Cisco, and/or one or morenon-switch devices with side-to-side ventilation) configured to drawcooling air through a lateral side of the device 414 (e.g., as opposedto through a front panel of the device 414) adjacent one of the sidepanels 410, and to expel warm exhaust air through an opposite lateralside of the device 414 (e.g., as opposed to through a rear panel of thedevice) adjacent the other of the side panels 410. It is noted thatwhile such a side-cooled and side-exhausted device 414 is entirelycompatible with the rack 400, the same may not necessarily be ascompatible with conventional cable management racks, predominantportions of the respective areas (i.e., height and breadth) of the sidepanels of the uprights of which tend to be intact and substantiallyun-perforated, and may therefore be substantially impervious to thepassage of cooling and/or exhaust air flows therethrough.

Specifically with respect to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, theplurality of vent holes 412 may advantageously collectively extendacross a predominant portion of the surface area (e.g., the height andbreadth) of the side panel 410, and/or each of the vent holes mayadvantageously be of sufficiently large size relative to a thickness ofthe side panel 410, to allow the side panel 410 to offer a relativelylow level of resistance to the passage of air through the side panel 410consistent with the rack 400 being operable to deliver an effective flowof cooling air to the device 414 through the vent holes 412 of a sidepanel 410, and/or to eliminate an effective flow of exhaust air from thedevice 414 through the vent holes 412 of a side panel. As shown in FIG.4, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the ventholes 412 may take the form of one or more regular or irregular arrays(e.g., one or more similarly configured regular or irregular arrays)comprising a plurality of such vent holes 412 and collectivelyrepresenting a predominant portion (e.g., between about 50% to about55%, between about 55% to about 60%, between about 60% to about 65%,between about 65% to about 70%, between about 70% to about 75%, betweenabout 75% to about 80%, between about 80% to about 85%, and/or greaterthan about 85%) of the total area (e.g., the entire height andbreadth/depth) of the side panel 410 of the respective upright 402.Other arrangements are possible, including embodiments wherein the ventholes 412 take the form of a regular array comprising a plurality ofsuch vent holes 412 representing a predominant portion (e.g., betweenabout 50% to about 55%, between about 55% to about 60%, between about60% to about 65%, between about 65% to about 70%, between about 70% toabout 75%, between about 75% to about 80%, between about 80% to about85%, and/or greater than about 85%) of the total area (e.g., the entireheight and breadth/depth) of a portion of the side panel 410 of therespective upright 402 (e.g., wherein the a portion in question of theside panel 410 represents between about 10% to about 15%, between about15% to about 20%, between about 20% to about 25%, between about 25% toabout 30%, between about 30% to about 35%, between about 35% to about40%, between about 40% to about 45%, between about 45% to about 50%,between about 50% to about 55%, between about 55% to about 60%, betweenabout 60% to about 65%, between about 65% to about 70%, between about70% to about 75%, and/or between about 75% to about 80%, of the totalarea (e.g., the entire height and breadth/depth) of the side panel 410of the respective upright 402).

As shown in FIG. 4, in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the vent holes 412 may advantageously form one or morehoneycomb-type arrays of hexagonal perforations through the side panel410 as shown in FIG. 4, wherein the respective shapes of the array andthe individual perforations may be beneficial for purposes of achievingrelatively high structural rigidity while simultaneously permitting arelatively high proportion of the area (e.g., height and breadth/depth)covered by the respective arrays to be open and amenable to theunhindered passage through the upright 402 of respective flows ofcooling and/or warm exhaust air with respect to the device 414 mountedtherein. In accordance with other embodiments of the present disclosure,other shapes than a honeycomb shape may be provided for the array ofvent holes 412, and/or other shapes than a hexagonal shape may beprovided for the vent holes 412 themselves. For example, the vent holes412 may be arranged in an regular array of columns and rows (e.g.,vertical columns and horizontal rows), and/or the vent holes themselvesmay manifest other shapes (e.g., regular or irregular shapes, circles,rhombi, squares, rectangles, etc., or a combination thereof). Further,the vent holes 412 need not necessarily be punched holes, but may beformed using any number of conventional manufacturing techniques (e.g.,via molding, machining, drilling, etc.), and need not necessarilyprovide a perpendicular and/or a straight path for air to pass throughthe upright 402 (e.g., may be oriented at an angle to the normal, and/ormay be provided with one or more slanted and/or fixed and/or movablefins or vanes or louvers to influence the flow of air through theupright).

Turning now to FIG. 5, an arrangement 500 in accordance with embodimentsof the present disclosure includes multiple instances of a cablemanagement rack similar to the rack 400 of FIG. 4, including a rack 502,a rack 504, and a rack 506, a cable management cage 508 disposed betweenthe rack 502 and the rack 504, a cable management cage 510 disposedbetween the rack 504 and the rack 506, a side-cooled device 512 mountedin the rack 502, a side-cooled and side-exhausted device 514 mounted inthe rack 504, and a side-exhausted device 516 mounted in the rack 506. Aspace or corridor 518 defined at least in part by a front side 520 ofthe arrangement 500 includes a supply of cool air for cooling at leastthe device 512 mounted in the rack 502, and the device 514 mounted inthe rack 504. The arrangement 500 further includes multiple instances ofa baffle 521 for redirecting respective flows of cooling and/or warmexhaust air flows. As shown by respective flows of cool air indicated at522 and 524, the cooling air enters the devices 512, 514 via respectivelateral sides of each such device 512, 514 after having been receivedfrom the front side 520 of the arrangement 500 adjacent the corridor 518and redirected (e.g., redirected 90 degrees) by a respective instance ofa baffle 521, such that the devices 512, 514 receive the flows 522, 524only indirectly, rather than directly, through the front side 520 of thearrangement 500 adjacent the corridor 518. A space or corridor 526 isdefined at least in part by a rear side 528 of the arrangement 500, andas shown by respective flows of warm exhaust air indicated at 530 and532, respective flows of warm exhaust air exit the devices 514, 516 viarespective lateral sides of each such device 514, 516, and areredirected (e.g., redirected 90 degrees) by respective instances of abaffle 521, such that the devices 514, 516 discharge the flows 530, 532only indirectly, rather than directly, through the rear side 528 of thearrangement adjacent the corridor 526.

As those of ordinary skill will readily recognize, the presentdisclosure, and more particularly, the arrangement 500, is notnecessarily limited to embodiments including cable management cages(e.g., such as the cable management cage 508 or the cable managementcage 510). For example, in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure, either or both of the cable management cage 508 and thecable management cage 510 may be removed, and/or substituted for by theuse of any other suitable system or component capable of performing thefunction of vertical style wire management.

As shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 9, each of which illustrates a portion ofa respective variation of the arrangement 500 of FIG. 5, each of theracks 502, 504, and 506 may include an upright 600 similar to theuprights 402 of FIG. 4, and may further include a perforated side panel602. Each instance of a baffle 521 may be mounted against a side panel602. One or more (or all) of the baffles 521 may include a cover 604 forpreventing at least one of a flow of cooling air flow or a flow of warmexhaust air from extending beyond a certain distance vertically in theregions of the baffles 521 between the racks 502, 504, and 506 (e.g., toreduce and/or eliminate the intermingling of exhaust flows associatedwith respective side-cooled and/or side-exhausted devices resident inthe same rack, and/or to reduce and/or eliminate the possibility that anexhaust flow from one side-cooled and/or side-exhausted device will backup into another such device resident in the same rack).

With reference to FIG. 11, an alternate rack embodiment is depicted inaccordance with the present disclosure. In the exemplary embodiment ofFIG. 11, rack 700 includes first and second uprights 702 a, 702 b. Withinitial reference to upright 702 a, first and second vertically-spacedintegral baffles 721 a, 721 b extend therefrom. Integral baffles 721 a,721 b extend from upright 702 a along vertically-oriented bend regions1102 a, 1102 b, respectively. Of note, a substantially rectangularopenings 1104 a, 1104 b are defined in the side face of rack 700 thatsubstantially correspond in size to the total area of integral baffles721 a, 721 b. This correspondence between rectangular openings 1104 a,1104 b and integral baffles 721 a, 721 b arises because the integralbaffles are generally formed through metal working of material initiallyfilling the space of rectangular openings 1104 a, 1104 b. Integralbaffles 721 c, 721 d extend from upright 702 b relative tovertically-oriented bend regions 1102 c, 1102 d and generally correspondin area to the corresponding rectangular opening 1104 c, 1104 d definedin the side face of upright 702 b.

Each of the integral baffles 721 a-721 d may advantageously define avertically-oriented flange or lip 1106 a-1106 d along an exposed edgethereof. The flange/lip facilitates positioning of rack 700 relative toadjacent structures, e.g., adjacent racks, and is generally orientedsubstantially parallel to the side face of the corresponding upright.The disclosed flange(s)/lip(s) may include a plurality ofapertures/slots (not pictured) that facilitate attachment to adjacentstructures, e.g., adjacent racks. Of note, the angular orientations ofintegral baffles 721 a-721 d relative to the corresponding upright—whichare defined by the angles formed in bend regions 1102 a-1102 d—may varyfrom implementation-to-implementation, but such angle typically rangesfrom about 30° to about 60° . The angular orientation of integralbaffles 721 a-721 d advantageously facilitates sideways air flow intoand out of rack 700. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 11, opposedintegral baffles 721 a, 721 b and 721 c, 721 d extend from diagonallyopposing regions of uprights 702 a, 702 b. In this way, entering airflow may be derived from a region in front of rack 700 and exiting airflow—which is heated—may be directed toward the rear of rack 700.However, it is also contemplated according to the present disclosurethat opposed integral baffles may open in the same direction, e.g.,toward the front or toward the rear, or that spaced

In an alternate embodiment, not depicted, integral baffles of the typedisclosed with reference to FIG. 11 may be associated with one uprightof a rack, whereas non-integral baffle structures of the type disclosedwith reference to FIGS. 5-9 may be associated with a second upright of arack. Similarly, vented/apertured structures of the type disclosed withreference to FIGS. 4, 6, 7 and 9 may be associated with uprights thatinclude either integral or non-integral baffles, as disclosed herein.Thus, as those of ordinary skill will readily recognize, the integraland non-integral baffles disclosed herein can be used with various rackdesigns.

Although the present disclosure has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments and implementations, it is to be understood thatthe present disclosure is neither limited by nor restricted to suchexemplary embodiments and/or implementations. Rather, the presentdisclosure is susceptible to various modifications, enhancements andvariations without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentdisclosure. Indeed, the present disclosure expressly encompasses suchmodifications, enhancements and variations as will be readily apparentto persons skilled in the art from the disclosure herein contained.

1. A cable management rack, comprising: a. a vertical rectangular framethat includes a first upright and a second upright positioned onopposite sides thereof, and b. at least one integral baffle that definesa baffle height and a baffle width, said at least one integral baffleextending from said first upright along a vertically oriented bendregion, said at least one integral baffle being angularly oriented withrespect to said first upright; wherein said first upright defines anopening in a side face thereof that corresponds in height and width tothe baffle height and the baffle width, respectively.
 2. A cablemanagement rack according to claim 1, wherein said opening is asubstantially rectangular opening adjacent said at least one integralbaffle, and wherein an area of said substantially rectangular openingsubstantially corresponds to the area of said at least one integralbaffle.
 3. A cable management rack according to claim 1, wherein said atleast one integral baffle defines a lip or flange along an exposed edgethereof.
 4. A cable management rack according to claim 3, wherein saidlip or flange is substantially parallel to said side face of said firstupright.
 5. A cable management system operable to deliver a supply ofcooling air to a heat generating device mounted therewithin, the systemcomprising: a cable management rack for accommodating theheat-generating device, the cable management rack encompassing: i. avertical rectangular frame that includes a first upright and a secondupright positioned on opposite sides of the vertical rectangular frame;ii. a first integral baffle that defines a first baffle height and afirst baffle width, said first integral baffle extending from said firstupright along a first vertically oriented bend region, said firstintegral baffle being configured and dimensioned to redirect a rearwardflow of cool air from a front space adjacent to a front side of thevertical rectangular frame sideways through a first opening in a sideface of the first upright; and iii. a second integral baffle thatdefines a second baffle height and a second baffle width, said secondintegral baffle extending from said second upright along a secondvertically oriented bend region, said second integral baffle beingconfigured and dimensioned to redirect a sideways flow of exhaust airfrom the vertical rectangular frame and through a second opening in aside face of the second upright rearward into a rear space adjacent arear side of the vertical rectangular frame; wherein said first openingin said side face of the first upright corresponds in height and widthto the first baffle height and the first baffle width, respectively; andwherein said second opening in said side face of the second uprightcorresponds in height and width to the second baffle height and thesecond baffle width, respectively.
 6. A cable management systemaccording to claim 5, further comprising: a. a third integral baffleextending from the first upright in vertical arrangement with the firstintegral baffle and configured and dimensioned to redirect a second,separate rearward flow of cool air from the front space adjacent thefront side of the vertical rectangular frame sideways through the firstupright; and b. a fourth integral baffle extending from the secondupright in vertical arrangement with the second integral baffle andconfigured and dimensioned to redirect a second, separate sideways flowof exhaust air from the vertical rectangular frame and through thesecond upright rearward into the rear space adjacent the rear side ofthe vertical rectangular frame.
 7. A cable management system accordingto claim 5, further comprising: a. a second cable management rack foraccommodating a second heat-generating device, the second cablemanagement rack encompassing a second vertical rectangular frame open ina front and a rear of the second vertical rectangular frame andincluding third and fourth uprights attached to opposite respectivelateral sides of a base and a top member; b. a third cable managementrack for accommodating a third heat-generating device, the third cablemanagement rack encompassing a third vertical rectangular frame open ina front and a rear of the third vertical rectangular frame and includingfifth and sixth uprights attached to opposite respective lateral sidesof a second base and a second top member; c. wherein the first integralbaffle is further extending from the fourth upright of the second cablemanagement rack and is configured and dimensioned to redirect a secondsideways flow of exhaust air through the fourth upright thereof rearwardinto the rear space adjacent a rear side of the second verticalrectangular frame; and d. wherein the second integral baffle is furtherextending from the fifth upright of the third cable management rack andis configured and dimensioned to redirect a second rearward flow of coolair from the front space adjacent a front side of the third rectangularframe sideways through the fifth upright of the third cable managementrack.